The present invention generally relates to internal combustion engines and outdoor power equipment powered by such engines. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electric starting system for an engine.
Outdoor power equipment includes lawn mowers, riding tractors, snow throwers, pressure washers, portable generators, tillers, log splitters, zero-turn radius mowers, walk-behind mowers, riding mowers, industrial vehicles such as forklifts, utility vehicles, etc. Outdoor power equipment may, for example use an internal combustion engine to drive an implement, such as a rotary blade of a lawn mower, a pump of a pressure washer, the auger a snow thrower, the alternator of a generator, and/or a drivetrain of the outdoor power equipment.
Many pieces of outdoor power equipment include engines that are manually started with a recoil starter. To start the engine, the user must manually pull a recoil starter rope. Other pieces of outdoor power equipment include electric starting systems in which a starter motor powered by a battery starts the engine. Conventional electric starting systems typically require an engine block different than the engine block used with a recoil starting system. The electric start engine block adds a mounting location that the starter motor is secured to. Conventional electric starting systems also require a flywheel with a ring gear that is engaged with the starter motor pinion gear.